The Ship That Got Lost
by acevolkner
Summary: Part of the Scarlet Sapphire Series. Bunch of fluff-tastic one shots post ME3 following the Shepard-T'Soni family as they face their most challenging mission yet; Becoming normal members of society. Will be updated as seen fit, technically shouldn't have an end. Rated Muh for possible future content. and some certain present content. ooh err missus.
1. Something Good

******::ll:: All these toys belong to Bioware; I just smush them together and make kissy noises. ::ll::**

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**AN **- Right, new fic, new day. I'm working on ME1, I swear. Just, stuff keeps getting in the way. Instead, I bring you this! As the summary says, this'll be my dumping ground for inconsequential post ME3/AITM fluffy one shots.

- May or may not end up in chronological order depending on how and when I write them. Also, since this isn't a _story_ story, there's not going to be any official end. Which means I'll be updating sporadically as the ideas come to me.  
- Also, since said one shots are fluff of the highest degree, I recommend you bring along your insulin and toothbrush, 'cause it's going to be a cavity inducing ride! Y'all been warned.

**PS -** For the life of me, I can't think up a good name for this fic. The one I'm using is pure Wensleydale and I hate it, so any help in that department would be much appreciated.

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- Chapter title is a reference to the Sound of Music, not the Utah Saints, meaning there will be no Shepard doing the running man, unfortunately.

ONWARD!

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**.**

_"Something Good"_

**2192 CE -** Athena Nebula/Parnitha System/Thessia/Armali  
_**Shepard-T'Soni Estate**_

* * *

Reclining in her chair, Liara nursed her temples, exasperated, as she bathed in the glow of her vast array of monitors. For once, however, it was not the Shadow Broker Network that was the source of the Asari's frustration. At least, not directly. Despite having the closest approximation of the sum of all sentient knowledge at her finger tips, the only information Liara truly wanted remained as tantalisingly elusive as ever. Normally she would revel in the challenge of discovering this nugget of unknown, allowing herself to think up ingenious methods of discovering the truth. This time however, the path to discovery was painfully obvious but she refused to take it. All she needed to do was ask Shepard and she would save herself several days of trawling the extranet for answers. And Shepard would not hesitate to provide the answer she was so desperate for. But she couldn't ask. Not this time.

Steepling her fingers and slouching slightly, Liara narrowed her eyes slightly as she recalled the events that led up to this current predicament.

Going by the human calendar, next week would be the sixth anniversary of the end of the Reaper war. But more importantly- _well, perhaps equally importantly_, she corrected herself mentally, it would be the seventh anniversary of Shepard's 'reawakening', as well as the ninth of the Asari's fateful rescue from Therum, in addition to the twenty third of her first expedition on Earth with her little flame haired tour guide. It was a busy week for history. Not that she was counting. A wry smile spread across Liara's lips at the memories.

She could recall with utmost clarity stepping out into the Earthen sun, taking in a lungful of alien air and relishing the fresh scent of adventure. Even without the lure of the Mars Archives, Liara was thrilled to be setting foot on the Human home world. As the latest addition to intergalactic society, little was known about the odd species outside their lust for fighting shown during the Relay 314 incident.

However, for those willing to dig a little deeper, one would uncover a veritable treasure trove of civilisations. Upon discovery, the young Asari was enamoured by the sheer quantity of religions, philosophies and lifestyles. While the lack of a unified, single doctrine slowed down Humanity's extraterrestrial expansion, the anthropologist within the Doctor couldn't help but swoon over the swathes of rich culture belonging to the sapient apes.

Today, however, the species' variety proved her undoing. From their time together, Liara had struggled to pinpoint one overriding culture in her Bondmate. Instead, Shepard, as well as many of the humans she had encountered, lived by a mish mash of various ideals from all corners of the globe. Another quirk the Asari had come to discover was that, while many human philosophies and customs were easily malleable, other aspects most certainly were not. Where religion and symbolism were involved, for example, strongly held beliefs could bring about points of contention among otherwise amicable people. Even if there was no vitriolic clash of cultures, some signals and rituals that were paramount to one person could quite easily be completely lost on another.

This, much to Liara's chagrin, carried over to methods of betrothal. She gave a heavy sigh, slinking further down in her chair. She would never forget her first night aboard the SR-2, when Shepard pledged the Asari her heart, solidifying the relationship once and for all. The Commander had promised her marriage, old age and a veritable army of little blue children. As it stood, the couple had decided to make sure they could raise a single child before multiplying further and with Shepard's implants and upgrades; the prospect of sharing their twilight years was firmly in the realm of possibility. Marriage, however? That was something which had rarely been discussed. Arguably, Liara mused, they were already married in all but name, so the whole process of confirming it with a piece of paper seemed oddly trivial. Not that either of them were afraid, of course, or at least, she hoped. It was simply that something or someone always got in the way or interrupted their talks.

Even though Shepard had retired from the Alliance and stepped down from active Spectre duties, she was still a sought after woman. The sheer volume of correspondence the Commander received was staggering and going through it could easily eat up her morning schedule. That wasn't to say Liara's line of work wasn't an equally large time sink, however, being one's own boss did have its advantages. Faking server upgrades or a stealth mission and the Asari could quite easily give herself a small vacation, leaving the trivial minutia of day to day Brokering down to Glyph.

Plus, Shepard had already given up so much for her. Ignoring the whole repeated saving of the galaxy, which _were_ lovely, Liara had to admit; the anthropologist within her was surprised at the ease with which Shepard gave up parts of her life to fit around her new Asari family. It was the Human herself who had suggested settling on Thessia, proudly proclaimed herself Liara's Bondmate, made sure to correct anyone who identified her as 'mother' and the Asari could have swore that on a few occasions, she had heard The Commander muttering expletives in the name of the Goddess. Furthermore, one thing Liara's Terrestrian studies _did_ confirm was that, regardless of background, marriage was a big deal in nearly all human cultures, equalled only by deaths and childbirth, more so for the females of the species. At the very least, she wanted this to be special for Shepard.

Thus Liara was left with a dilemma. Either she could straight up ask The Commander about her preferred bonding ritual, ruining the surprise and risking the Human stubbornly insisting on a more native ceremony. The Asari shook her head, smiling at the thought. Leaning forward on her elbows, Liara rested her head in her hands and sighed. She couldn't ask Shepard. _Wouldn't_. The Commander wasn't the only pig headed one in this relationship.

Slowly, Liara's head lifted as she began staring blindly at the streaming screens. _She couldn't ask Shepard. _A coy smirk curled itself around her lips.

_She_ couldn't.

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* * *

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The Spectre ducked as lasers flew over head, coming perilously close to singeing her crest. Launching herself behind a conveniently placed waist high crate, her eyes darted back, searching for her two associates.

"Blasto! Take the right, Tigger, left! Flank now, move, move!"

Her associates bounced from cover, gunning down enemy agents as they progressed. Leaving her own cover, she stood, glaring and pointing up at the shaded figure on the balcony at the far side of the warehouse.

"You won't get away with this, Shadow Broker!"

A synthesised rattle shuddered through overhead speakers.

"Oh I beg to differ, _Spectre_! You think you can control me with your 'justice'? That pathetic thing you call 'law'?"

"_I AM THE LAW!_ I see through your lies and deception, _Shadow Broker_; the death and destruction you've wrought throughout the Galaxy. I see the truth of you. And I decree; _**No. More**_."

The metallic rasp chuckled.

"If you say so, Spectre T'Soni." The shaded figure turned on his heel, leaving the room and moving deeper into the compound. "Oh, by the way." He turned around, adding as if an afterthought, "I'd watch my footing, if I were you. It'd be awful for you to lose the _spring_ in your step?" The figure gave a satisfied hum, before turning back. "Commence wave two."

T'Soni stared after him, a puzzled expression flirting across her face. _Spring_? Glancing across, she watched as her associates continued their advance. Understanding dawned as her features contorted in horror.

"Tigger, _No_!"

On his next hop, the tiger was engulfed in an explosion which stumbled the Spectre and left a ringing in her ears. Not waiting for her vision to readjust, she ran over to her comrade and dropped to her knees. Cradling the tiger in her arms, she tried in vain to stem the flow of stuffing rapidly escaping his body. A shaky paw drifted up, cupping T'Soni's cheek as his voice cracked, struggling to form coherent sound. The Spectre gently admonished him.

"Shh Shh Shh. No words. Everything'll be alright. Relax and find comfort in the embrace of the Goddess."

Slowly, the figure in her grasp went limp and the Spectre bowed her head bitterly. _He was one day away from retirement_. _I promised Christopher Robin I'd keep you safe, dammit. _A reassuring tentacle gripped her shoulder lightly. Laying the body gently on the floor, T'Soni rose, stony faced as her biotics crackled. Surveying the advancing foes, she gave a snort. _Asari Commandos? I could use a challenge. _Feeling the tentacle's grip tighten, the Spectre turned around, facing her remaining companion. Blasto turned a worried shade as he regarded the girl.

"This one queries whether you are going to be alright?"

She gave a slight sniff and stared at him.

"For now."

"Are you sure? It is not a sign of weakness to feel hurt by his passing."

She averted her gaze, eyeballing the troops that surrounded them, encasing her hands in sapphire flames and gave a small nod.

"I'll cry when I'm done killing."

The subsequent beat down was interrupted by a crackling in her ear.

"Abort mission, Agent V. Return to the Normandy immediately. I repeat, abort mission..."

The Spectre's shoulders slumped as gave a petulant pout. Picking up her ruined toy, she retreated back to base.

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* * *

.

Liara heard the stomping before she saw her daughter. Spinning round in the seat, she watched as the child trudged in the room, stood at her full height, shooting off a tight salute. Running her eyes up and down the little Asari, Liara gave a small sigh.

"Vari, sweetie, you could have just asked your father for one of her N7 shirts instead of painting that red stripe down your arm. Now we're going to have to scrub it off in the shower tonight and you know how hard it is to try and get that off your skin. You're going to be all purple and raw. And is that- did you _reave_ this?" she plucked the shredded toy from the child's hand and quirked an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Vari found a sudden fascination in her feet, as colour bloomed in her cheeks.

"I might'a got a bit... _overexcited_."

Looking down at her daughter, Liara gave a small smile. She could never feign annoyance for long with the young Asari. While she was the spitting image of her mother in all but eyes, her personality and behaviour was distinctly Shepard. For better or worse. Turning the tattered remains in her hand, Liara decided to take pity on the child.

"I suppose it is about time we start training your biotics. Tell you what; do a little favour for me and I'll fix Tigger and we can forget this ever happened, deal?"

Her head snapping up, Vari couldn't control the lopsided grin as she realised she was no longer in trouble. Ever the professional, she stood rigid once more, raising a hand to her brow once more.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Very well." Liara reclined slightly in her chair as she crossed her legs. "Your mission, should choose to accept it..."

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Vari Shepard-T'Soni was a good Spectre. Or she would be, when the Council eventually asked her. That was a still a hundred years away, but that didn't mean she couldn't train while she waited for the call. Papa was a good Spectre too and though she probably didn't know it, everything Vari knew about Spectring came from the Human. Despite her parents trying to shield her from news reports regarding their past life, the young Asari still saw snippets here and there. Plus she had the extranet and while she was careful with what she searched, she trusted her parents had good reasons for their sheltering after all, the old news reports and interviews with the first human Spectre amazed Vari.

As she quickly learned, to be a good Spectre meant more than just being a good fighter. You had to be smart and calculating and charismatic. And Vari Shepard-T'Soni had the sharpest of wits and the most silvery of tongues. Relishing in any chance to hone her cunning, Vari was eager to set off on this assignment, her most difficult to date. The student would be going up against the master. Mama couldn't stress the importance of the covert reconnaissance mission, meaning Vari would have to pull out all the stops.

Padding down the hallway, the young Asari prepared herself, getting in the correct mind sight. The inquisitive child was pretending to be a Spectre pretending to be an inquisitive child. It made her brain hurt thinking about it too hard. She couldn't get distracted now, couldn't let Mama down. Standing on the spot she gave herself a little shake, adopting the shy, curious expression that for some reason always left a far away glint in her father's eye. Rapping gently on the door, Vari blinked, attempting to appear as doe-eyed as physically possible. Hearing a muffled noise of approval, she poked her head around the door.

"Papa?"

Hitting the send button with a final flourish, Shepard span around in her chair, flashing a warm grin at the small Asari.

"Hey sweetie, c'mon in."

Stepping further into the office, Vari closed the door behind her. Pointing to the stripe running down her right arm, Shepard gave a small grimace, affecting a slight sing-song voice.

"Mama's gonna be _ma-ad_."

Vari scratched the ridges at the back of her neck almost apologetically, looking up at her father. One thing she liked about her Papa was that the human was pretty lax about most stuff, only really getting cross when Vari messed up big time. She had seen the vids and how scary Papa could be and was quietly pleased she had never incurred such wrath from her father. Giving a small shake of her head, Vari banished the mild musings, again centring on the task at hand. With a furrow of her brow and narrowing of her eyes, she shot her father a searching look before beginning to speak, making sure her tone was inquisitive, edged with a slight hesitancy.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Always, Vee, you know that." Shepard responded softly as she gave a light frown, worried by the child's unusually withdrawn behaviour. Patting her lap, she invited the child to climb up. Giving a shy smile, Vari smirked internally. _Right where I want you, Papa. _Snuggling in, Vari got comfy, revelling in the Commander's tight embrace. She was warm and gentle but masked a firm strength, similar, but subtly different to Mama. Vari couldn't control the contented sigh that escaped her.

"What's eatin' you, baby blue?"

"I was just wondering; what happens when humans get bonded?"

"_What_?" Shepard looked down at the child, her voice a few octaves higher than usual. _Good. Yes. Take her by surprise. Crack her open. _Keeping up her visage, Vari continued, nonchalant.

"It's just; Sarah at my school came in yesterday saying to everyone her parents were getting marriaged. I don't know what that means for humans."

"It's _Married_, sweetie, and, well," Shepard looked around the room for inspiration, slightly blindsided by the odd question. "It depends on where there from. There are lots of different ceremonies on Earth and the colonies."

_Mama said it might be difficult trying to draw out the right answer. Quick, Spectre, think! Where's Papa from?_

"Um. They're from- The United States of East London...shire?"

Snorting at her daughter, Shepard thought of how to word her answer while Vari breathed a small sigh of relief_. She bought it_. _Heh, even when I'm bad, I'm good. _She glanced up at her father, mask still in place.

"Traditionally, there's a man and a woman, because human's have two genders, remember?" Vari nodded, urging her father to continue. "Well, when a man and woman love each other very much..."

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* * *

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"...And then, everyone throws boxes of rice at each other before getting drunk and eating cake."

Liara narrowed frowned, digesting the information.

"And these are your father's exact words?"

Vari sat in the seat, fidgeting with the brown fedora in her hand and gave what she hoped was a convincing nod. In truth, she couldn't quite remember Papa's exact words, as genuine curiosity overcame the child, making her momentarily forget her mission in the first place.

"So do you definitely need a human male and female to carry out the ceremony?"

"Well, Papa said that was tradition but when Humans got given a seat on the Council, they made it so anyone could marry as long as they could sign their name in human speak."

"Oh. Good."

Vari watched, pleased as her mother paced, nodding fervently, apparently satisfied with the answer. With a warm smile, Liara bent down, placing a kiss on the child's crest, provoking an embarrassed grunt and deep blush from the young Asari.

"Thank you, Little Wing. You have no idea how much this means to me. And as promised," she proffered the orange tiger, which, save for a few stitches, looked no worse for wear and as plump as before. Letting out a yelp of surprise, Vari pounced on the toy before wrapping her arms around her mother in a tight hug. Holding the child at arm's length, Liara gave the child a quick brushing down.

"So, will you be jumping back into duty, Spectre T'Soni?"

"Nah. It's Dr. Shepard, now." Vari said, placing the Fedora on her head before placing a small blue and white baseball cap on the tiger. "I think I'm going to go uncover some ancient artefacts or lost civilisations or something." With a polite nod, the child trotted out the door. Satisfied, Liara turned to her work station, ready to initiate the next stage of planning. Before she could get very far, she heard a light stomping coming back down the corridor, Vari popping her head back in the room again.

"You haven't seen my whip anywhere, have you?"

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**2192 CE** - Athena Nebula/Parnitha System/Thessia/Armali  
_**Alexandra Memorial Park**_

* * *

Walking down the quiet street hand in hand, Liara gave a contented sigh. The evening had been perfect. After a week's rigorous planning, everything was falling into place. With Matriarch Aethyta on babysitting duties, The Doctor and Commander had been given the night off. Liara had reserved seats at the one of the most prodigious restaurants on all of Thessia. Better yet, she didn't have to make any veiled threats to do so. Even after several years, the Asari still found it strange dealing with the Galaxy's new found reverence for her. Not that she was complaining, of course. While the hero worship of the Normandy Crew did drag at times, being Saviours of the known universe did have its perks.

However, the gnawing sense of worried trepidation was beginning to rear its ugly head for the first time in four years, bubbling away in the pit of her stomach as she began unconsciously chewing her lip. Everything up to now had gone so smoothly. It would be just her luck for her plan to crumble and collapse now. For what must have been the millionth time that evening, the Asari ran a mental spot check, slyly checking for the box located in her otherwise empty purse. Luckily, before she could bite her lip into oblivion, her companion spoke, tilting her head to lean gently against Liara's as they continued at the leisurely pace.

"Y'know, not that I don't enjoy it or anything, but if you wanted to go for a walk, we could've at least brought some walking shoes with us. I don't think I've worn heels in, well, _ever_."

"Yes, but hiking boots would hardly go with your dress, love."

"The dress that _you_ made me wear."

"Which you look stunning in, by the way." Smirking at the Commander's petulant pout, Liara continued. "It's your fault. You shouldn't have sent me that holo with the dress Kasumi gave you. And what's wrong with me wanting to show you off to the Galaxy, anyway? Show everyone what they're missing out on. _What they can't have_."

"Ooh, T'Soni's getting possessive." Shepard leaned in closer, her voice no more than a whisper as she enunciated every individual syllable in a sultry growl. "_I love it_."

Liara shivered at the small biting noise made by the Commander, using all of her remaining will power to push her away slightly. She couldn't afford distractions. Not yet. The night had almost been a bust several hours earlier, before the couple had even set foot out the door. The Commander could be very persuasive at the best of times and seeing her in her full regalia, Liara very nearly rescinded.

Retreating just out of reach, Shepard glanced up at her surroundings with a gentle frown. Everything looked familiar, but she couldn't fathom the last time she had ventured this far.

"Hey, Li, We ever been down this part of town before? 'Cause I kinda recognise everything but I don't, if that makes sense."

_No you haven't. But you have seen it. Remember when I told you about how I liked to dig for ruins as a child? Well, it's changed a little with the rebuilding and the park has been renamed but for the most part, it remains the same._

"Oh yeah." Shepard mumbled, a nostalgic grin spreading across her face. "We'll need to bring Vee down here some day. Technically the first place we were together as a family, huh, Li? Li?"

Shepard spun around, frowning once more as her Bondmate vanished from her side.

_Well, that's why I chose it. _

Hearing the faint echo of her words within her mind and understanding dawned on her, Shepard let out a bemused sigh as she done another turn, scanning the area before replying likewise

_Ha Ha, very funny, Blue. Now come on. You do know I'm still officially hunting the Shadow Broker, right? I can't be held accountable for what'll happen when I catch you._

_Oh, Commander. Never make a promise you don't intend to keep. Now. _Shepard felt a biotic bubble gently burst against the back of her head, prompting her towards the heart of the park. _Come Find me._

Trudging through the archway, Shepard smiled as the familiar scent of apples filled her lungs, radiating from the soft grass. Glancing around, the Human looked puzzled as she tried to decide where to go next. Greeted by a familiar sight, Shepard strode off, her heels sinking ever so slightly into the soft soil with every step.

Marching toward the tree that dominated the park, Shepard couldn't help but marvel at the scale of the thing. The already formidable images she had seen of it would roughly have been a century ago now and it seems the tree hadn't stopped growing since. A small part of the Commander was oddly pleased to see it still standing. While the normally smooth bark looked painfully gnarled in some places, the thing was still standing, having held firm against insistent Reaper forces. A particularly nasty gouge halfway up the trunk spilled the plant's innards to the world, making its differences from its earthen counterparts all the more obvious. Deep violet skin gave way to a softer, navy blue network of pulsing veins and webbing, glowing gently in the dark night from the eezo laced throughout the planet.

After a full circuit of the tree, Shepard stood, hands on hips as she glanced to her left, looking for any sign of her companion. Hearing a slight rustling above, the Human's head shot up, only to be treated with the sight of her Bondmate skirting gracefully down from the branches and gently landing at her side. What grin the Commander would have had was quickly swallowed by a worried frown at the expression on the Asari's face.

"Liara, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, no I'm fine. Or, at least, I will be." She muttered with a small shake of her head, cheeks blushing profusely. With her head pointed firmly down, Shepard tried to tilt her own, anxious to make even the slightest eye contact with the nervous Asari. With another shake of her head, Liara squared her shoulders, finally fixing the Commander with a determined gaze.

"Shepard, I-" she swallowed, trying her hardest to crush the waver in her voice. "_Alex_. In the past ten years, we have experienced far more than many others do in their lifetimes. On Therum, as I watched you approach, I swore I saw a ghost, never believing we would get the chance to meet again. When you allowed me aboard the Normandy, I could only stand idly by and watch as you began to dominate my every waking thought as well as an inordinate amount of my nightly musings. After Ilos, as I saw you shrug the rubble of the Citadel from your shoulders and make your way down Sovereign's ship, I knew that my place in this universe was by your side."

"When I-I lost you over Alchera, it was as if my very reason for being was torn asunder. I was lost without you. But you came back, just like you always do. And even though I was scared, Even though I pushed you away again and again, you remained; defiant, unwilling to let me complete my spiral of self destruction. You pulled me back from the dark places and together, we fought side by side, in spirit if not in body, against a universe determined to keep us apart. And by no short amount of miracles, we did it. As the last Reaper, Husk and Banshee fell, we were there, together. "

"And after all that, you still manage to astound and amaze me with your love and devotion every day. You managed to give me things I didn't even realise I desperately wanted. And with you by my side, I genuinely feel as if we could achieve anything. And to know you will remain there with me, I- it's more than I could ever dream for. I love you, Alex. More than I thought could ever be possible. And as such," Liara dropped to one knee as she opened the small velvet box, offering it to Shepard. "Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Shepard stared down, slack jawed. Her gaze flitted between Liara's opal eyes, betraying the mass of nerves and uncertainty hammering through the Asari's system, and the box in her hand, housing an intricately detailed silver ring adorned with a sapphire that rivalled the flair of her eyes along two intricately woven bracelets of matching patterns; one a mix of red, green and soft beige, the other a dark and light blue interspersed with a soft purple.

All Shepard could do was gawk as her brain failed to acquiesce with her body, leaving her a stuttering, gaping mess as flurries of thoughts and emotions crashed against one another in her mind. Liara watched from her bended knee as apprehension began clawing firmly at every fibre of her being. Inside she was cursing herself for managing to screw this up. She had even invested in the Bondmate bracelets in case this plan fell through. _Fat lot of use they turned out to be. _Slumping her shoulders slightly, Liara's arms slackened.

"I-I'm sorry. I knew I should've stuck with the goat dowry..."

Seeing the dejection in the Asari's face, Shepard immediately fell into damage control, wrenching the mish mash of emotions into one semi-coherent thought. Placing her hands on Liara's shoulders, she gently guided the Asari back to a standing position as her features struggled to form the appropriate expression.

"No, Liara, hold on. I-" She closed her eyes, centring herself, unable to control the grin that finally began dominating her lips. "Yes."

"...but then there was one about kidnapping but people who've tried that with you have a nasty habit of ending up dea- wait, _what_?" The Asari's head snapped up from her apologetic mumbling, fixing Shepard with a look of unabashed sincerity which only made the Commander's grin widen further.

"Yes. A thousand times yes. Everything, this, you- _it's perfect_."

Securing her hands on either side of her Bondmate's cheeks, Shepard pulled her in, gently pressing their lips together before deepening the kiss. She couldn't help he light quirk of her mouth as she felt Liara go limp slightly, before the Asari slid her own hands around the Commander's waist, bringing their bodies flush against one another as the pair revelled in the mere presence of each other.

Breaking the hold and moving apart ever so slightly, lightly gasping for breath, Liara brought the box back around again, pulling the ring from its home and gliding it over Shepard's knuckle. Placing the hand on the Asari's shoulder, Shepard couldn't help but be in awe at the design, something so inexplicably, enchantingly _Liara_. Reaching down to the box with her other hand, she extracted the two trinkets, slipping on her own before caressing its partner gently over the Asari's hand, again marvelling at the delicate contrast between thread and skin, as if the couple's very essences were distilled in the bracelets.

Bringing the Asari's newly adorned wrist to her mouth, Shepard gave the inside a delicate kiss whilst enraptured in Liara's gaze. Time began to lose meaning as they simply stood, lost in each other, content to stand in the blue glow of the tree, foreheads touching and fingers intertwined. Shepard frowned slightly as an odd smirk flirted across her face.

"One thing though, Li."

"Mhmm?" Liara looked up, her brow raised, giving a gentle smile of her own.

"_Goat Dowry?"_


	2. Girl Talk

**AN** – Yeah. I don't really know. This just... happened. Also, Vari really needs someone to play off that isn't a boring old adult. It was going to be Sarah. But she's kind of an asshole.  
Name doesn't really have anything to do with anything, just comes from the name of a really cool musician. eh makes sweet mash-ups and doesn't afraid of anything. You should wrap your lug holes around him sometime. He's awesome.

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* * *

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_"Girl Talk"_

**2193 CE -** Athena Nebula/Parnitha System/Thessia/Armali  
_**Shepard-T'Soni Estate**_

Shepard blew the long strands of hair out of her eyes with barely restrained rage. She was beginning to regret her decision to grow it out. It had never reached past her shoulders before, and her previous line of work all but demanded she keep it short. Now however, with her biggest foe being the occasional spider that crept into the house on wet days -_ Out of all the species in the universe, why did it have to be spiders that managed to colonise every home world and settlement in existence?_ - The Commander decided to grow it long, out of an odd curiosity if nothing else.

Shaking the idle thoughts from her head, Shepard returned to glaring at the contraption in front of her. Having felled Geth and Reaper alike, the fabled Commander cursed as she was rendered useless by the blasted Asari script. She should know what the symbol for a _40°C Spin Cycle_ was by now. Her features flattened. _Should probably look into tha-_

Her eyes shot up to the ceiling as language that would make Aethyta blush reached her ears, coming from a voice far too small and high pitched to understand the meaning behind the words. She frowned. Shoving the remaining clothes in the machine, Shepard spun the dial to something that looked passably like a four, before setting off upstairs to the source of the commotion.

Edging open the door, Shepard poked her head inside and watched with mild amusement as Vari sat in the middle of her room, surrounded by an assortment of arts and crafts paraphernalia, muttering angrily to herself.

"Little help, Baby Blue?"

Vari's head snapped round, her eyes wide with equal parts fright and guilt. Vari swallowed as Human and Asari silently regarded one another for a moment, before it became apparent she would not be getting in trouble. Upon such realization, the child relaxed, her shoulders slumping visibly.

"I- no, no, it's fine."

"It doesn't look _'fine'_." Shepard chided, moving further into the room. When she craned her neck to get a better view of the source of Vari's frustration, the young Asari moved awkwardly, hastily trying to shield the project from the Commander as purple bloomed in her cheeks. Now properly worried, Shepard sat opposite her daughter on the floor. Extending her hand, she delicately lifted Vari's chin, bringing her eyes up to meet the Commander's own gentle gaze. Vari gave a petulant glare as she finally rescinded, offering to answer her father's unasked question. Her eyes fell nervously to the orange mess in front of her as she spoke, her words rushed and voice harried.

"In school we started learning about Council history and Matron Tireya wants us to write and do a play on the first battle of the Citadel. I have to play you and I have the costume almost made, apart from _this_." She gathered several orange ribbons and a hairnet in her hand before letting them fall back to the floor as she sighed. "Hair is so stupid."

Shepard listened silently, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face at the child's vexation. When Vari looked back up at the Commander expectantly, she was met with her father's soft gaze, tinged with puzzlement.

"Sweetie, if you're having trouble, why didn't you come ask for help?"

Vari gave a weak shrug.

"I-I wanted it to be a surprise."

Shepard gave a sympathetic smile as she moved to pick up a strand of ribbon. Raising it to eye level, she peered at it quizzically.

"Where did you get all this?"

"The crafts shop, last week, when I went with Mama-"

"When you bought half the store?"

Vari blushed again, her hands moving down to fiddle with the hem of her dress.

"_Yeah_. I wanted a proper wig but they didn't have anything that looked right and since Mama always said your hair was soft and smooth..." She gave another shrug. "It was either this or tinsel."

Shepard now picked up the hairnet, examining it. The minute holes were far too small for the ribbons, instead better suited for a fine thread. Slowly, she raised a single eyebrow as her mind began to formulate a solution. She flicked her eyes back to the child, who had taken a renewed interest in fiddling with the ribbons at her feet.

"Well, since I've ruined the surprise, would you like help now?"

A nervous smile overtook the small Asari as she nodded fervently. Shepard beamed.

"Alright, pass me those scissors."

Vari did as she was told, despite the confusion swarming her face. She watched, rapt as Shepard gathered her hair into a loose ponytail with one hand, the scissors in her other. The child's eyes widened in horror as the Scissors descended on the fist, wincing and clutching the tips of her crest as Shepard brought steel down upon the locks. Twisting around to pick up the discarded hair, she turned back, only to be met with the terror struck visage of her daughter.

"_Goddess_, Dad, I- you-?!"

"I cut... my hair... off." Shepard spoke slowly, perplexed by Vari's sudden ashen appearance.

_"I can see that!_ D-does it hurt?" She leapt her feet, quickly making her way to the back of her father's head. "Are you bleeding?"

"What? I-hey, no!" She jerked out of her daughter's grasp. "I'm fine."

Vari remained unconvinced, examining Shepard with the same painfully worried expression she shared with her mother.

"Sweetie, I'm fine." Shepard grabbed the child's wrists gently, clasping them in one hand, the bundle of hair in the other.

"Now," she said, letting go of the young Asari and picking up the hair net. "If you want a Shepard wig, you need Shepard hair. Lucky for you this was our last batch-"

"But Mama likes your hair. Won't she be mad?"

"Maybe," Shepard shrugged. "But I'll make it up to her. And anyway, it'll grow back."

"_Really_?" Vari's eyes widened as she looked down at the auburn bundle with a renewed scientific interest.

"Oh yeah," Shepard nodded vigorously, reveling in the opportunity to impart her wisdom. While not stupid by any means, Shepard's lack of formal schooling, coupled with her seclusion from any kind of information network growing up, left the Commander with a rather limited knowledge base. Out with the ability to survive in environments that would kill most others, Shepard couldn't really claim to be an expert on any subject other than those that related to killing, which didn't tend to go down well at dinner parties. So she seized any chance to show off what she did know, first to Liara and then her daughter and couldn't help but feel just that little bit smug at the hint of wonderment that always flickered across their faces. "Inch for inch, enough hair tied together is stronger at holding stuff than steel."

"And you grow this?"

And there it was, that little glimmer in the child's eye as she absorbed the information, itself bringing out a small smile on the Commander's face. Vari remained silent for a few moments more, before looking back up at her father in earnest.

"You know, for a species that's really gross, humans can be pretty cool sometimes."

Shepard snorted.

"I'll make sure to tell all my super gross friends that." Her face softened slightly. "Now, you go fetch that armour you were making and we can see about making it Reaper proof."

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* * *

.

The pair sat in silence, cross legged on the floor as Shepard threaded the last few strands of hair into the net, Vari sitting opposite, her tongue sticking out between her teeth and oversized magnifying goggles attached to her face as she took care to get the N7 designation just right on the DIY cuirass.

"So, if you're playing me, who's the lucky kid that gets to pretend to be Mama?"

Vari gave a disapproving grumble.

"Sarah."

Shepard frowned. "She's a human, isn't she? Wouldn't it make more sense for you to switch roles?"

"Yeah," Vari sighed, laying down her paint brush. Shepard's brow quirked as she braced herself for the incoming rant. "That's what I said, but apparently, Matron Tireya thinks she doesn't have the same _'tortured eyes of a warrior poet'_ like I do." Vari gave an exasperated roll of said sensory organs. "I think she has a crush on you. Plus she romanticizes humans far too much."

"Are you sure? Maybe we're deeper than you think, kiddo."

Shepard grinned at the scolding look the child shot at her.

"The same species with such an unhealthy fascination in fart and phallus jokes? I don't think so."

_Phall-? Oh_.

"You found out what that meant, did you?"

"Papa," Vari started, condescending, if explaining something to a small child. "You didn't tell me what it meant when I asked. I have the extranet. What did you think would happen?"

_Jack you son of a bitch_. _'Hey, Liara, aren't you a little uncomfortable having V stay the week with a self styled psychotic biotic?' 'Nooo Shepard. It's totally fine, now come here while I smush our brains together!'. Ugh. Damn Asari and their dirty mind tricks_. Her stomach sank. _It can't be time for 'the talk' already?_

"We, uh, we're going to have to have a small conver-"

"Don't worry," Vari cut her off as she continued to scrutinize her work. "Mama and I have already talked about it. And rest assured, it did little to change my opinion of your species."

"Oh." Shepard sat with the wig in her hands, flummoxed. "Okay." _That's... Good. Right?_

"But yeah," Vari continued, obviously not as blindsided by the conversation as her father. "To play the part, Sarah has to go round in blue face paint and have her hair all gelled up in a crest to look like Mama, but she just ends up looking like me." Vari scrunched up her nose in distaste. "It's weird."

"Mhmm." Shepard gave a non committal agreement, focused on the next step of her plan as she stared down at the wig in her possession."Alright, c'mere Baby Blue. Sit here. Now, this is going to be a little itchy until you get used to it. So just trust me and sit still."

.

* * *

.

It was Shepard's turn to scrunch her face and stick her tongue out in concentration as she carefully cut the lengthy wig into a more natural shape, taking care to hide the peaks of Vari's crest while doing so. They sat in silence, the child occasionally sneezing or struggling to keep her squirming under control. She watched her father intently as Shepard carefully shaped her fringe into the shape she had spent years perfecting. Unable to stifle her idle musings any further, Vari spoke up.

"You'd make a good mama."

Shepard momentarily stopped her sculpting to look down at the child with narrowed, confused eyes.

"I-Thank... you?" Moving to the side of the child's head, Shepard resumed her work. "What makes you say that?"

"Well," Vari wrinkled her face, thinking of how best to phrase her response. "You're a good papa. I just think you'd be a good mama too." Behind the young Asari, Shepard blushed as she continued her work.

"Papa," Vari began, again, hesitant. "Have you ever wanted to be a Mama?"

Shepard brought the scissors down to her side while she considered the question. Her brow knit slightly as she thought.

"I-yeah, I guess. I mean, everyone goes on about how glowing and magical it feels, and how painful it is. But I've broken every bone in my body, like twice. It can't be that bad, right?"

So why haven't you?"

Shepard shrugged, once again unprepared for such a line of questioning, becoming ever so slightly uncomfortable.

"I never had time. Before I joined the Alliance, we had plenty mouths to feed as it was, and after, I was too busy with my career, I guess."

"But you have all in the time in the world now, so why don't you?"

Shepard gave a small laugh.

"It's not that easy, Sweetie. For one I'd need a Human male-"

"_Really_?" Vari made a tutting sound. "That's so inefficient." She dropped her gaze downward for a minute, thinking. "Why don't you make one in a test tube, like how Grunt was made? Or do that thing Sarah's two mamas did."

"Well, to do that, you need the part of you that makes babies to work at least a little bit." Shepard's eyes glazed over, focusing on nothing in particular as her voice trailed off, quiet as she gave a small shrug. "Mine's broken."

She was broken from her reverie by a shocked gasp in front of her.

_"Your brain is broken!?"_

"Wait, what?" It took Shepard a moment before she followed the child's train of thought, giving a small laugh as she did so. "No, no, Ahh..." She smiled weakly, returning to sculpting the wig. "Human reproduction isn't exactly the same as Asari. It's a lot more... _Physical_. Hell, you don't even have to like someone to have a kid with them."

Vari gave a small shake of her head and Shepard could have sworn she heard a small muttering of _'weird'_. Noting the child's still tensed shoulders, Shepard remained quiet, waiting for the next inevitable question.

"So, how did it break then?"

Shepard frowned slightly as she attempted to formulate a response.

"Well, I-" she sighed, giving up on that approach. "Do you remember me or Mama ever talking about my... _accident_?"

Vari gave a murmured agreement, expecting a small admonishment.

"There was _something_... During one of our melds. I reached out to touch it and Mama got really scared. Mama never gets scared."

Out of the child's line of sight, Shepard grimaced. She wasn't looking forward to the day they would have to tell Vari the truth. With half the Galaxy still unbelieving and the couple's own hesitancy around the subject, Shepard's death had become a rather taboo topic of conversation.

"And you know how Aunt Miri helped fix me? Well," Shepard's brow furrowed slightly at her admission. "Sometimes you can't fix everything ."

Vari nodded in silent acknowledgement whilst she angrily cursed herself. _You and your big mouth. You know how Mama and Papa get upset when people talk about the Cerberus years. Goddess be damned._ Her ruminations were cut short as Papa spoke, Vari grimly noting the forced levity in her voice.

"Anyway, what's brought on this inquisition?"

Vari gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I dunno. Sarah was annoying me, saying how awesome it was to have a brother. And she said..." Vari kept her eyes firmly on the ground as she absently sifted some hair clippings lying on the floor. Shepard paused her ministrations, waiting for the child to continue.

"What did she say, sweetie?"

Vari gave a heavy sigh, unwilling to part with her words.

"She said... That it must be really weird for you to have a family that isn't even the same species as you, especially when you're supposed to be the mama."

Laying the scissors down, Shepard moved around to face the child, ducking her head to make eye contact when Vari wouldn't look up.

"V, you know that's nonse-"

"No its not!" Vari's eyes finally snapped up to Shepard's, a pained expression flitting across her face. "She's right! You don't get to do half the stuff you would do with humans."

Shepard frowned slightly, though it kindly.

"Like what?"

"Like-like," Vari gave a flustered huff, her arms flapping in exasperation. "Hair stuff! An-and make up! Like riding bikes and playing ballfoot and stuff. Face it; you'd be happier with a human child. The news even said so, on that Westerlund and TFNN...N?"

The small grin Shepard had been nursing vanished at the sight of the dejected child. Bundling her into her arms, Shepard lifted the young Asari into her lap, rocking her gently.

"Sweetie, we can do all the stuff if you want to." While her tone remained gentle, the firm edge she had honed as Commander eased into her voice."And don't for one second think that I don't love you as much as I do. You're not some consolation prize. I would love you just as much if you were a Human, or a Turian or even a Yahg." She gave light snort. "Mama might freak out with that last one though." She glanced down to see the child burrowing her face into her chest and hugged tighter.

"You're my daughter, V. Nothing's going to change that." She continued to rub the child's arm reassuringly as they rocked, making sure her tone remained casual. "Would you rather have another Asari as your dad?"

"What!? _No_!" Vari's head jerked up, a scandalized expression playing across her features. "Of course not. That's a silly question."

"It is, isn't it?"

Vari's brow knit as she nestled onto Shepard's embrace, listening to the steady beat of her father's heart before Shepard spoke once more.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other, V. That okay with you?"

Shepard felt the child nod against her chest, more animated than before. She smiled.

"So, you wanna stick your armour and see how you match up to the coolest Spectre in the whole entire Galaxy?"

Vari nodded again, giving a soft, lopsided grin as she got to her feet. Lifting the Papier-mâché cuirass over her head, she spoke up, words muffled slightly.

"Y'know, when Mama took me to that shop, we bought lots'a stuff, like face paint. If I have to dress up, so do you."

Shepard arched her eyebrows, not at all at ease with the coy smirk the spread itself across the child's lips.

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* * *

.

Coming through the front door of their house, Liara let out a sigh. It had been a tiring day, giving the guest seminar at the university, but a rewarding one. She doubted she would ever get tired of talking about Protheans, even with the ever acerbic Javik cutting in to amend her every ten or so minutes.

It was a different excitement, however, that fueled her grin this evening; one of a more subdued but no less thrilling nature. She could already guess with certainty the Commander's answer but nevertheless felt the small flutter of nerves in her core at the mere thought of it.

Placing her bag down, the Asari moved into the kitchen and glanced out the window. The large tree that served as the centerpiece to their garden was swaying slightly, its branches and leaves rustling if in a high wind. Liara frowned_. It was perfectly calm outside a second ago._ As if to answer her puzzlement, seconds later she watched as Vari dropped down, swinging by one hand on the purple branch, shooting nerf darts at biotically propelled projectiles several feet away. Liara raises her brow in comprehension and gave a small smile, before it furrowed once more as the Asari took in just what her daughter was wearing.

While clearly not the correct material, it was a stunning replica of Shepard's old N7 armour. _And, on her head, was that...?_

Stepping out on the veranda to get a better look, Liara stopped dead in her tracks at the blue silhouette just off to her left. She cleared her throat.

"Um, Hello?"

Setting down the mug in her hand, the figure glanced around, her eyes widening upon recognizing Liara.

"Hey Sweetie," she stood straight, walking over to join the Asari. "How was the talk?"

Liara failed to hear the question, her mind busy absorbing the image of Shepard in front of her.

Every visible patch of skin had been painted bright blue, the only tinge of pink being around her lips where the mug had wiped them clean. The Commander's hair was likewise painted, albeit in a different shade and styled back in an exaggerated pompadour, tapering off at an exaggerated point.

"What-what is that?" She finally managed to say, pointing at the humans get up, unable to control the amused grin spreading over her lips. Looking her Bondmate in the eyes, Liara could swear that Shepard was blushing under the copious amounts of face paint.

The Commander straightened her stance, bringing herself to her full height, placing hands on her hips and attempting to edge some authority into her voice "Well," _and failing._ "V had this costume she had to make for school and when we were done, she wanted to see what I'd look like as an Asari. So... She did my make-up and..." She motioned gingerly down to the ill fitting dress.

While Shepard's toned body did things to Liara she hadn't realised possible, seeing the taught muscles rippling under too tight silk while Shepard stood awkwardly, broad shoulders jutting from the soft yellow ensemble, brought out an amused grin that the Asari could do little to hide.

"Apparently, that includes dressing like one." She grimaced slightly. "For what it's worth, I think it looks better on you."

Liara buried her laughter in Shepard's neck as they embraced, before turning back to the tree Vari had just fallen out of with a quiet thump, once again using words she shouldn't even know.

They stood for several minutes in a companionable silence before Liara glanced at her Bondmate, noticing her hardened expression Shepard sported when deep in thought. Squeezing the arm around her waist, she got the Human's attention, who glanced at her apologetically.

"Do y-?" Shepard sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing."

Raising an eyebrow, Liara stared Shepard down, unyielding. The Human complied, albeit with a slight frown and petted lip. She took a deep breath.

"Did- I haven't... _forced_ you into anything, have I?"

Liara's quirked eyebrow was joined by its twin as she tried to filter Shepard's question.

"I- what?"

Shepard's shoulders slumped as she glowered at having to explain herself.

"Well, it's just-" she sighed, collecting herself. "Even though you're like, a hundred years older than me-"

"_Charming_." Liara folded her arms and cocked her hip as she watched her Bondmate fumble further.

"- _Even though you're older than me,_ I'm further along in my species' life cycle. I'm- well, you know what I'm like around kids! It's like my ovaries go into overload!" Her gaze dropped, finding a renewed interest in her feet. "An-And you're a Maiden. Asari don't usually have kids for another two hundred years. I-I just hope you haven't rushed into anything or feel like you have to do something just because I'm going through a _phase_."

Liara squared her shoulders where she stood, her overly stern glare betrayed by the tweaking of the corners of her lips.

"So our daughter's '_just a phase'_?"

"By the gods, no!" Shepard stared dumbfounded at the Asari, scandalized. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Her voice quietened again, flustering. "But I- I mean, it's just-"

"Calm down, Shepard," Liara chuckled, taking pity on the floundering human, convinced she could feel her Bondmate glowing through the thick paint coating her face. Moving closer, she wrapped her hands around Shepard's waist, ducking her head to catch the Human's eyes, chuckling. "I'm only joking. Goddess, love; you're far too easy."

"That's not what you said last night," Shepard murmured, a touch of humour returning to her voice. Liara rolled her eyes theatrically but nevertheless leaning into the Human further.

"Shepard. I love you. I do. And while you have managed to talk me into a number of questionable activities, I would never commit to anything unless I was certain of it."

"Like that bath with all the nozzles you didn't want? I told you that you'd like it." Shepard lifted her head, a wry grin creeping across her lips. Liara gave a small shake of her head. _Humans_. _Audacious creatures. The lot of them._

"I was referring to our progeny." She slipped around the Commander, resting her chin on the Human's shoulder and hugging her from behind as they watched Vari begin her ascent once more up the mottled bark. "We did good, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Shepard replied, a smile on her face as she leaned back into her wife's embrace. "We did."

The slight tightening of Liara's muscles was barely noticeable as she swallowed. _Now or never, T'Soni. Keep it cool._ Opening her mouth, she gave an internal groan at the waiver in her voice.

"It'd be a shame for us to keep such talents from the universe, don't you think?"

"Mhmm?" Shepard's neck straightened slightly as she craned to look down at the Asari's face. Flicking her eyes upwards, Liara caught her gaze.

"It's been something I've been mulling over for a while, actually. You always talk so glowingly of the children you grew up on Earth with. And I won't lie, there is a small part of me that is envious of your tales camaraderie as a child." Her eyes drifted back to the rustling branches of the tree as she continued. "I always wanted a sister. Younger or older, I wouldn't have minded. Just someone to share things with. Someone who knew what it was like to live as I did." Her eyes flitted back up to the Human's momentarily, apologetic. "I don't mean to compare our childhoods or start some... _Oh, how did James put it?"_ She paused momentarily_. "_A _dick waving contest_ with you and imply they were analogous. But it was lonely. Growing up as a highly sought after Matriarch's daughter. What little friends I did have were fleeting, mere pawns on a political chess board. I could never be certain anyone was interested in me and not my Mother."

Shepard remained silent, but nodded along with her wife's words, rubbing the side of her head against the Asari's crest soothingly.

"And I can't imagine it's going to be any easier with the '_Saviour of the Galaxy'_ and '_Reaper_ _Eater Supreme_' as a father."

"And let's not forget having '_the most influential and powerful Asari in history without which none of the aforementioned Reaper eating would have ever been possible'_ as a very territorial Mama Bear." Shepard paused, frowning slightly. "I never was very good with names."

Liara chuckled softly, tightening her grip around the Human.

"There is that. But my question still stands. Together, you and I made something so utterly perfect." At that moment, as if striving to prove her mother wrong, Vari decided to take a tumble down the tree branches, her foot snagging just before she was clear, leaving her dangling, an unimpressed pout etched in her face as she swayed upside down, grouching in the breeze. "_Well_, practically perfect. And I do worry about her." She smiled, leaving a trail of kisses up the Human's neck, coming to a rest on her earlobe, grimacing slightly at the taste of the paint.

"So I put it to you, my valiant and dashing Commander; can you repeat the feat?"

"I-_seriously_?" Shepard spun round, catching Liara by the arms before she could fall into a stumble. "You want- we could- _baby_?"

Liara merely tilted her head, smug over how smooth she was managing to remain. "Well_, I wouldn't_ want _to force you into anything_."

The Human gave a dark chuckle that left a throbbing in Liara's core.

"I'd like to see you try."

Feeling her self-restraint rapidly depleting and unwilling to mentally scar her child by ravishing her father so fervently out in the open, Liara let her eyes wander down to the comically ill fitting dress.

"Actually, it may take some force to free you from that." Her brow flattened slightly as methods of liberating the Commander from the garment flitted through her head, all involving some kind of tearing. _Deliciously. Feral. Tearing. Preferably with teeth_. "A pity. I always like that one. But tell me," She continued, eyes widening a touch as she spied the hints of two hardening peaks on the Commander's chest, her imagination firing with a rapid flurry of lewd inspiration. "Is... everything...blue?"

She gazed back up into Shepard's eyes, taken aback ever so slightly by the raw hunger that shone in them. In response, the Commander barely managed a whimper. Liara sighed, amused. There was always something that thrilled her in occasionally having the upper hand in their dalliances. One of the many things that drew Liara to the Commander had been the Human's utter self confidence and brashness in face of opposition and sense of overriding justice, as if acting as the vessel for all of Humanity's self-assured, cocky indomitability But to see said Human reduced to a whimpering mess with a few carefully chosen words and well placed touches lit an entirely different fire within the Asari that she couldn't quite explain. And to know that she was the only one privileged to wield such power was... _comforting_, as strange as that sounded. To feel so utterly and entirely _wanted _was something Liara doubted she would ever get used to. Nor would she ever want to.

Realising she was getting lost in her thoughts and that Shepard would not be initiating any conversation in her current state, Liara gave a smirk, trailing a finger down Shepard's cheek, uncovering some of the Human's delightfully blushing skin as she did so. She gave her head a small shake.

"At any rate, I'd rather the father of my next child be my delightfully pig-headed human Bondmate as opposed to the admittedly delectable Asari standing in front of me."

The pink tinged skin Liara had uncovered darkened as Shepard gave a bashful grin.

"Well, uh, this stuff's kind of heavy duty. Gonna take a lot of scrubbing."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," A coy grin found its way across the Asari's face. "Our bath's got nozzles, don't you know? Even the high pressured ones that you were so insistent upon."

The Commander comically frowned as she cleared her throat, trying to regain some semblance of self-control, but unable to stop her voice raising an octave.

"_A-Are you propositioning me_, Dr T'Soni?" Shepard swallowed thickly, giving up futilely on being anything other than a stuttering mess.

"Perhaps. What do you think?"

The Asari's eyes flashed black and the barrage of images that had assaulted Liara previously were transferred to the Commander, teasing out a guttural groan as she stared with a glazed expression, into the Asari's darkened pits. Just as the two began to lose themselves in one another's minds, they were awoken by the light stomping of boots on wooden steps. Barely having time to come to her senses, Shepard looked down to see Vari already in full flow as she pointed to a crack that ran diagonally down the cuirass.

"-think its structural integrity isn't very good, but I should be able to fix it with another batch of Papier-mâché." She glanced up, looking between her parents, her brow furrowing in distaste.

"Are you guys seriously out of breath? All you've been doing is standing here! _Ugh_. How you two managed to beat the Reapers, I'll never know."

As she trudged past them, Liara outstretched a hand, plucking a stray leaf from the child's wig. She quirked a brow at Shepard, who was watching the young Asari disappear. Turning back to her wife despondently, Shepard stood as the heat Liara had ignited in her core fizzled, the illicit imagery flooding her mind becoming little more than a fond dream. Her shoulders slumped and grumbling, she traipsed into the house. She sighed.

"_I'll get the newspaper."_


	3. Daddy's Here

**AN** - Surprise Update! Also Time Warp! Kinda. Originally a prompt for some Shep/Baby fluffings, so this isn't really part of everything else per se. Shep is still Shep and Liara is still Liara. The Baby, I imagined as Vari and would set this a few months after the end of AitM, once they've settled on Thessia. Nothing too left of my own canon really. I just didn't want to post this as a stand alone when this fic is acting like my fluff folder. So yeah.

Also, may have some (read: quite a few) similarities with the last chapter, at least initially. So sorry for that. :)

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* * *

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**2188 CE** - Athena Nebula/Parnitha System/Thessia/Armali  
_**Shepard-T'Soni Estate**_

Liara had heard that some human mothers could suffer from what they termed 'post partum depression' and worried if she had it. Asari had a similar expression, but dealing with such, as it was with motherhood in general, was a very family oriented affair, with the newly minted mother relying on the wisdom of sisters, cousins, aunts in addition to their own forebears. But Liara didn't have any of that.

The sole daughter of two matriarchs, any extended family the Asari may have had were long gone or lost somewhere in the galaxy, moving on to make families and lives of their own. And while she had come to respect and love her father dearly, Aethyta was about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it came to tact and decorum regarding matters of the heart. Plus, try as she might, Liara simply couldn't shake the guilt of starting this new family and moving on from the war while Aethyta's three daughters and children were still lost out there, unaccounted for, despite the Broker's best efforts. Liara did not take defeat well and her half-sisters' continued absence was a thorn in her pride as well as a personal disturbance.

Turning onto her side, Liara came face to face with the crux of her problem, the source of her sleepless nights. _Well,_ she argued to herself, calling Shepard a problem was perhaps the wrong choice of words. The Commander had been nothing short of a gift from the Goddess in dealing with the hormonally bipolar Asari. It was an odd sixth sense of the Human to know just when Liara needed her space or when she needed her Bondmate's comforting embrace. She had quickly learned, without so much as a word passed between the pair, which kinds of food would reduce Liara to a nauseous mess and just as swiftly rid the house of them. If the Asari was to be truthfully honest, it wasn't really Shepard's fault at all.

More accurately, it was Liara's own fears about her Human Bondmate that was causing her to toss and turn tonight. Simply put, Shepard was a Human. A Female Human. Normally, she would take on the role of 'Mother' in a fully Human, or, indeed, in any other form of alien bonding. In the years she had known the Commander, Shepard had always had a soft spot for children and while she never fully verbalised it, the woman was clearly in the brooding stage of Human development. So for someone who had grown up fully expecting to be the maternal parent, Liara couldn't help but feel Shepard had jumped at the opportunity to be called 'father' and made it her mission to fill every paternal crevice in their relationship with an oddly energetic gusto. And to be father to another species on top of such? The Asari had tried to filter in as much of Shepard as possible into their daughter but the overwhelming differences remained.

Since joining with the Commander, Liara had consumed vast amounts of Human media and couldn't help but be reminded of what small cornerstones in Human parental bonding that Shepard would miss out on. Simple things like plaiting hair or putting on make-up, to the often hilariously awkward sex talks children have with their forebears, were simply not found in Asari culture. There were no bikes to learn to ride or sports that didn't require large teams and fully stocked stadiums to play. Missing out on such fundamentals, Liara feared Shepard wouldn't be able to bond properly with their daughter, robbing the child of her father and the Human of the one thing Liara could give her, the one thing she had always wanted.

Furthermore, she and Shepard had yet to return to their former levels of intimacy since the child had been born, Liara always being either too sore or tired with Shepard being as caring and considerate as ever. Asari were meant to satisfy and fulfil their partners, and for the partners to do so in return. A part of Liara was painfully afraid that she was failing not only Shepard, but her entire race; her mother, father and grandparents before her on a fundamental level.

She sighed, studying the Human's delicately knit brow as she slept. For all she had accomplished, Motherhood was quickly reminding Liara that she was still, at heart a rash, self-centred, inexperienced young Maiden. All in all, she was simply terrified. Of everything.

A distant wail caused the Asari to tense, as her daughter denoted unrest just down the hallway. A stupid, irrational fear took hold of her, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here. Back to Hagalaz, where her Shadow Broker duties were clearly defined, or even Therum, where the galaxy simply left her alone to her research, before the Krogan and Geth, before Shepard. A deep hatred suddenly bubbled within, directed at herself for having such thoughts. One thing she had found out she couldn't live without was Shepard. She loved the Human more than she thought would ever be possible and felt likewise about her daughter. To lose either one would destroy Liara, but at the same time, a niggling, dark voice in the back of her head whispered that sometimes, it might simply be easier without them. She hated that voice. And she hated herself, for even listening to such horrible thoughts.

The crying continued, and Liara only felt a deep self loathing as she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, unwilling to face such stupid fears. Terrified of the minute chance that they might be validated. Beside her, she felt Shepard jolt awake, as she often did, a carryover from her Alliance days. The mattress below her dipped slightly as the groggy Human leaned over, examining her supposedly asleep Bondmate. The guilt Liara had been feeling increased tenfold as she felt a gentle peck on her temple before Shepard stood and stretched. Peeking her eyes open to catch a glimpse of the underwear laden Commander, Liara couldn't help but feel undeserving of such a creature's affections, as beautiful and formidable in body as she was in mind. She was suddenly struck by an overwhelming, irrational desire to follow the Human, born out of a fear of being left alone. She groaned internally at her own logic, another thing that had taken a significant knock in the past few months. Waiting for Shepard to set off down the hallway, Liara crept out of the bed herself before donning a thin robe and setting off after the Human herself.

Eyes snapping open, Shepard was thrust back into the realm of the living, a sound reverberating in her ears that stung more than any Reaper horn. She lay for a few seconds while her brain made sense of her surroundings. _Bed. House. Night. Safe_. She let out a breath. _Liara_? She perched herself up on an elbow and leant over her Bondmate, examining her features. She looked troubled, as if battling a nightmare. Ultimately, however she would be safe, if given time to play it out in her head. The distant crying picked up again, reminding the Commander of her wakefulness. Giving the Asari by her side a quick peck, a good luck charm in her fight against the monsters, Shepard stood, stretching her muscles into a workable condition and set off down the hall in search of her quarry.

She entered the child's room silently and approached the side of the cot. No more than a few months old, the little Asari was just beginning to get an understanding of her own movements. Rocking gently from side to side, the child's large, emerald eyes locked onto her father's, tears staining her face and a glistening on the edge of her nose. Taking pity on the child almost immediately, Shepard lifted the young Asari and held her to her chest. Shepard paced gently around the room, patting the child on the back and murmuring sweet nothings into her ear. As the child's whimpering settled down, Shepard sat the pair on the chair in the corner and cradled the little blue bundle in her lap.

"So what's the matter, kiddo? Nightmare?" She paused, as if expecting the child to respond. Instead, she was only met by large eyes that, while sharing her father's colour, were filled to the brim with the delicate inquisitiveness of her mother. In the shadow of the doorway, said Mother looked on, her mouth quirking at the Human's eccentricities. Taking the silence as a 'yes', Shepard continued, her eyes glued to the child.

"Your Mama had one too, you know? You both make this small, little scrunchy face that makes me smile every time I see it. Mama woke up in the middle of one, once; saw me grinning at her like a loon. She didn't find it so amusing." Shepard smiled fondly at the memory, before returning her gaze to the child, a soft seriousness falling over her features.

"But you know something? Every time you, or Mama, have one, I'm gonna be just around the corner, ready to chase those monsters away. Commander Daddy. It's what I do. And even when I'm not, I'll still be here," She gave a gentle prod to the child's chest, before trailing her finger upwards, bopping her on the nose and moving to caress the child's forehead. "Or here." She gave a small smile at the grin that splayed across the little Asari's face, her gums glistening in the soft light.

"And when that time comes, _and it will come_, I want you to be a big girl for your Mama and make sure she keeps safe and happy. Make sure she stays away from any Yahg. Once is enough, I think." She gave a wistful smile as she trailed off into silence for a moment, before returning to the present, forcing a hint of levity in her voice.

"But that won't happen for a while. By that time, you'll have a ton of sisters around to help out. And I'll still be here to scare away any high school boyfriends. Or girlfriends." She quirked an eyebrow, looking off into the distance. "Or Elcor." She glanced back down to her child, a mock sternness in her face. "Now I know Asari tend to take things slower than most of the Galaxy, but I think an Elcor would be just a touch too much, don't you?" The child gave a small giggle, unafraid of the Commander's firm gaze. Shepard's shoulders slumped, unamused by her daughter's reaction.

"You know, I looked down the barrel of a Reaper and shot it down from orbit. I managed to talk _two_ people out of indoctrination. And now look at me. Can't even scare a baby. You've ruined me, kiddo."

Shepard sat, letting the child wrap her fingers around the Human's thumb as she continued to examine the child, smiling at all the little familiar features that comprised her face. While the freckles and nose were Shepard's, the former slightly darker than her Mother's own, the child's mouth was quintessentially Liara, constantly puckered in that adorable seriousness Shepard had fallen in love with upon seeing the suspended Doctor back on Therum several years before. The child interrupted Shepard's musings as she extended her hands, clenching, indicating she wanted to be held closer. Lifting her up to chest level, Shepard raised an eyebrow as the child looked up at her forlornly, pawing at the Commander's breast.

"Hungry, kiddo? Or is this another thing you inherited from Mama?"

The flash of understanding in her eyes was answer enough. Chuckling, Shepard stood, supporting the child's back with a hand. In the doorway, Liara shied back as foolishness began to replace the guilt in her system.

"Unfortunately for you, _these _are off limits and I don't want to wake up Mama. God knows she hasn't been getting enough sleep lately. But," She added, seeing the beginnings of a petulant pout springing up on the child's face. "We just might have some in the fridge. So you can just chill. Heh. Get it?" Shepard features flattened as unbeknownst to her, two sets of eyes rolled at the quip. "Bah. Too much like your Mother sometimes, I'm telling you."

Diving into the doorway of the guest room, Liara waited for Shepard and her daughter to descend the stairs before following. Entering the kitchen, Shepard placed the child in her high chair before rummaging in the fridge, drawing out a small bottle and setting it to heat. Returning to her daughter, Shepard picked her up and placed her on the counter, playing games with her. She would tickle before going to kiss each point of the little Asari's small crest, counting them off, causing the child to giggle further. When the child attempted to copy her by placing bundles of the Human's hair into her mouth, Shepard removed it, gently chiding the child.

"Nuh uh. That's a choking a hazard, sweetie. Plus I'd hate to see the look on Li's face when you start coughing up a hairball like a cat."

When the bottle dinged that it was ready, Shepard took it and perched herself up on a nearby bunker lifting a finger to her lips.

"Don't be telling Mama, okay? She doesn't let me put my feet up on the coffee table. I don't think she'd be too happy knowing I had my ass up here. No matter how delicious it is." She gave a coy smirk as she looked off into the distance, before returning her gaze to the child. "Also, if she ever asks where that word came from? Blame it on Nana 'Thetes, okay?"

Only being met with the child's dead pan expression, Shepard quickly rescinded. "Alright, alright, here, take your stupid bottle."

They sat in silence for several minutes, the quiet only punctuated by the soft suckling coming from the child's throat. Enraptured by the little Asari, Shepard was compelled to speak up once again.

"You know, I've seen a lot of bad things in my time. Hell, I've _done_ a lot of bad things. Even before Saren and the Collectors and the Reapers, there are a lot of moments that I'm not proud of. And when the war started? Well, that was probably the worst time of my life. There were moments when I felt like just giving up, throwing in the towel. The Reapers just kept taking and taking and I didn't know how we would fight that, recover from it. But then I'd look at your Mama and I'd imagine little times like this. And I wanted that so bad. I'd do anything for it. And I did."

She paused, frowning a moment, as the child continued to look up at her, enthralled as Liara looked on from the cover of the stairs.

"What I - _what everyone_ -went through, what we saw; I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. But you know something? If I knew that I would see you and Mama smiling at the end, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. You two mean everything to me, and truth be told, that sorta scares me." She paused, thinking. "It's a good scary though. The best, I think."

She lapsed into silence once more, glancing down at her child to see those large green eyes shut, her small chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. Shepard let out a soft snort.

"Finally managed to bore you to sleep, huh? Well, come on, then." She stood up, placing the discarded bottle in the sink. "Beddy-Byes for Baby Blue."

Liara hurried up the stairs and dived into bed, resuming her faux sleeping position. She lay still for a minute, trying in vain to regulate her breathing before she heard Shepard slip back under the covers. Slowly, she felt an arm wind its way around her waist, gently pulling her closer. Liara allowed it, attempting her best sleepy movement impressions, snuggling into the Commander. She lay contented for a few moments before she heard the Human speak.

"Sweetie, you know it's rude to stare, right? You could've joined us if you wanted."

Liara's stomach sank.

"I was that obvious?"

"No, but I _was_ an N7, for, like, ten years. It was kinda my job to know if people were sneaking about around me."

"I'll be sure to work on my technique for next time."

She smiled at the muffled chuckle she received in response. Melting into the Commander's embrace further, it was several moments before Liara spoke again.

"Did you mean what you said?"

"Every word."

"Even the part abou-?"

"Every." A kiss. "Word." Shepard pecked the Asari on the nose a second time. Liara snuggled in closer, mulling the words over. Her brow knit slightly.

"You don't think I was being a little... _silly_?"

"Of course you were. But that's alright. Everyone's a little bit silly sometimes."

Liara laughed, before muttering. "You are wise beyond your years Shepard. Are you sure you're not a Matriarch?"

"You saying I look old?" Liara didn't miss the mock affront in the Human's increasingly sleepy tones.

"Perhaps." The Asari teased back, before tucking her head into the hollow of Shepard's neck, allowing the Commander to sleep before she slipped off herself, more contented than she had been in a long time.


	4. I Think Dad's Winning

**AN** - Fill for a prompt on the kmeme. Funny thing was, I was writing the next story/chapter for this and one throw away line referenced said prompt perfectly and then I saw the prompt and fate dictated I just _had_ to fill it. So yeah. Here is that!

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**2198 CE** - Athena Nebula/Parnitha System/Thessia/Armali  
_**Shepard-T'Soni Estate**_

She could feel a trickle of sweat make its way down the bridge of her nose, before flying off as she thrust forward once more. Her swirling tongue interrupted only by intermittent nibbling on an indigo nipple moved, seeking out the throbbing pulse point on the Asari's damp neck and latched on with an animalistic fervour. There would be a mark come morning_. A good few marks_, the flame haired human thought with a smirk.

Taking a second to break away, Shepard leaned back ever so slightly, taking in the image of the Asari beneath her. Liara was near senseless, reduced to a moaning, writhing mess under the Commander's carnal rutting as their hips crashed together, desperate for closeness. Her back arched and eyes, glazed over and rolled back in her head with only the tiniest of blue still visible. Holding back on the meld, Shepard wanted to see just how far she could go before need took over the Asari. Liara's limits were proving higher than the Commander's however, if the blood pounding through her clit and twitches of the toy between her legs were any indication. She grinned.

Shepard comfortably put the touch transmitting dick in her top five purchases, with all the evidence needed provided as she thrust forward once more, feeling Liara's silken heat flutter and contract around her, enveloping her in a way Shepard had previously not thought possible.

The Commander's thoughts were brought back to the present as, along with an almost painfully wanton groan, Liara dragged the blunts of her nails down her Bondmate's back, causing Shepard to bite down on her neck once more. Losing her steady rhythm, Shepard's thrusts became erratic as she pounded mercilessly into her wife as she felt her own need beginning to crest. It wasn't often that the pair fucked so brutally, instead preferring to keep it for 'special' joinings so as not to diminish their enjoyment of it, Liara in particular. It was a constant source of amusement for Shepard to know that the shy, modest scientist-turned-information broker had such a wealth of kinks and preferences behind closed doors. She let out a throaty chuckle. _Always the quiet ones. Well, she certainly isn't quiet now. _

Wanton moans had made way for guttural growls and clenched teeth as the Asari's cheeks flushed a deep purple, her fingers biting into Shepard's back as she neared the edge. dots began to appear in the Commander's vision, signalling in the impending arrival of her own crescendo, along with the pooling heat in her abdomen erupting into a full blown fire. The Asari's walls clenched around Shepard desperately, unwilling to part with the synthetic member. Sweat was freely dripping off of Shepard now, pleasured gasps joining the sound of slapping skin as she took a final plunge-

"Papa!" outraged tones rang from the doorway behind her. "Don't hurt Mama!"

Eyes snapping open, Shepard could only produce a startled groan of noise as she jumped, tumbling over her Bondmate and landing on the floor at the side of the bed with a thump. She could only pant heavily, swallowing air as her body petered off, the toy between her thighs shooting off a few last squirts of fluid. Only when she realised that the large, worried eyes of her youngest were on her, the littlest Asari's head tilted quizzically, did Shepard make any feeble attempt to hide the synthetic dick, too large for her hands to completely mask and any covers available currently pooled around Liara's lower half, as the Maiden sat up, far too demure and regal for someone who had just been in the process of being fucked senseless.

Scrunching into as small a shape as possible, attempting to hide all her extremities, Shepard's eyes drifted back over to the door, only this time to be met with the furious, emerald glare of her eldest. She was suddenly hit with a wave of sympathy for any and all foes who had faced off against her in the past. _That glare was terrifying_.

The sheen of sweat that coated her body had cooled, making Shepard shrink further into herself, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. Liara paid no attention to the Human's suffering, instead levelling her two children with a steady gaze and calming smile.

"Sweethearts, I'm fine. I promise."

The eldest, Vari's glare softened but remained serious, unconvinced. Little Izzy's gaze however was still set inquisitively on the crumpled figure of her father.

"Are you sure Mama? Papa was biting and everything. You said it's bad to bite. And Matron Tireya said that lots of adults from the war might have past dramatic dress disorder and that they might hurt people they love but that it isn't an excuse and if they're threatening you, and you shouldn't keep quiet and-"

Liara held up a hand, gently silencing the child. Scooching to the foot of the bed, she beckoned to two children closer, only removing her gaze to momentarily check up on her Bondmate still glued to the floor, and couldn't help the small grin that flared on her lips in response to seeing the infamously unflappable Commander well and truly flapped.

Vari approached cautiously, eyes searching her mother's body for marks. Taking the child's face in her hands, Liara delicately traced her thumbs over the child's smattering of freckles, once again lost in just how much Vari took after both of her parents. Her eyes blazed with the stout hardness that had so often soothed Liara during the hunt for Saren, saved her from the crushing loneliness during her trials with the Shadow Broker and had remained her one beacon of hope in the darkest hours of war. However she also possessed the soft facial structure and willowy grace Liara herself hadn't particularly been aware of until Shepard had pointed it out in their daughter. Glancing over to her younger child, it was almost startling to see such an inverse image. Still a perfect synthesis of all that was good in the two Bondmates and sharing the tenacious and passionate spirit of her sister, young Izzy instead took after her father in looks, sharp features that could slice bread and a quiet confidence that radiated through her being, but chose to exemplify her mother in behaviour, favouring a cautious and highly analytical approach to proceedings, rather than her sibling's feet-first attitude to life.

She followed the line of her youngest's critical gaze, her eyes coming to rest on the gently wobbling phallus, not quite hidden behind Shepard's tangle of limbs. Her sight drifting further northwards, she saw the quiet terror etched into Shepard's face and her mind was immediately drawn back to the present. _Awkward sex talk. Right. Well, she won't be much use. Not tonight_. She turned back to face Vari with a sincere and reassuring smile.

"I promise you, by Athame's good grace, that what your father and I were doing was entirely consensual and safe."

"But-"

"Give Papa some time to recover, and we'll discuss it in the morning, alright, Little One?"

Vari's eyes flitted uncertainly between that of her two parents, before she returned Liara's gaze with a firm nod. Glancing to the smaller child still in the doorway, Liara's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Izzy, sweetie, are you going to be okay?"

"Oh?" the child slipped out of her daze, mind still filtering her thoughts, before she too gave a nod, almost comical in its seriousness.

"Yeah. It's just... Nana 'Thetes' said that humans grew hair everywhere. But I didn't think she meant... _everywhere_."

Liara let out a soft snort as she registered Shepard wilting further in the corner of her eye. Standing up, she gently ushered the two children back into their room. Tucking them into their respective beds and making sure Izzy had a firm grasp on her Blasto plushie, Liara retreated to the darkness doorway.

"Now sleep well, my loves. I shall see you in the dawn."

Waiting for two murmured responses and the children's fidgeting to ease into a deep breathing, The elder Asari returned to her own room down the hall. Shepard had eased slightly, but nevertheless remained rooted to the floor. Letting out a low chuckle, Liara climbed back onto the bed, stopping only to reach hand down and gently nudge the Commander's cheek. Shepard glanced up, a lost daze lingering across her features.

"Well, come on then." Liara motioned her head down towards her azure. The Commander merely gawped, incredulous.

"You mean... even after they... we... I-I don't think I can. Like, _ever again_."

Liara merely quirked a brow.

"The Great Commander Shepard that _I_ am familiar with would never leave a mission half done."

Shepard scrunched her face as she grumped, grudgingly getting to her feet, the synthetic phallus bobbing between her legs.

"_'Great'_? _And_ my title? Gonna have try harder than that, T'Soni."

"You are hard enough for the both of us, love. I assure you." Liara lay back ,a devious smirk taking over her features, as her eyes flashed a deep obsidian.

"Li, that doesn't even mak- _Oh God_." Shepard could swear she had been winded by the wave of lust and unrestrained need that crashed over her following the sudden meld, rekindling the coiling fire within her own core. Ending as abruptly as it had begun, Shepard at least retained enough composure to give an exaggerated pout as she crawled over her smug Bondmate.

"Damn you and your Asari mind tricks."

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Vari sat straight backed and rigid, perched on the stool, her hands clasped in front of her on the breakfast bar, glare never leaving her father as she continued to eye Shepard suspiciously. Beside her, Izzy sat, brows drawn slightly as she attempted to formulate the question currently on the tip of her tongue.

Doling out the pancakes, Shepard purposefully avoided Vari's gaze, afraid of her face bursting into flames if she so much as caught the child's eye. As the last batch of pancakes were deposited on the youngest child's plate, Izzy finally spoke up.

"Hey, Papa?" she began hesitantly. "Y'know the fur between your legs. Is that... like... always there? I mean, D-Does every human have it?"

Shepard let out a barely audible sigh as she placed the pan back down on the hob before turning to her child, face set with determination. _Okay Shep, we've brokered peace with the Quarian and Geth, managed to negotiate treaties between Krogan and Salarians. Hell, we talked two people out of indoctrination. We can do this._

"Well, sweetie," She cleared her throat, unable to stop the flush creeping along her cheeks. Even without looking at her, she could feel her eldest's eyes burning into her, scrutinising her every twitch. "Only grownups have it. In-in fact, it tends to be one of the first signs that someone is becoming a grown up. Of course n-not _all_ humans have it," she was aware she was babbling now, but despite every conscious effort, Shepard couldn't quite finish digging the hole she found herself in. "I-I mean, there are ways to remove it-"

"Oh I know," Izzy nodded sagely, tucking into her breakfast, blissfully ignorant of her father's fumbling. "I saw the pictures on the extranet. And don't worry," She rolled her eyes as Shepard's brow knit. "Glyph made sure I didn't see anything _'I'm not supposed to'_" she raised her hands, air quoting the last phrase, before returning to her previous train of thought. "Anyway, it looks really sore. I can understand why you don't. Although Nana 'Thetes said that if you aren't going to mow the lawn, you should at least use some conditioner on it. Then she said something about growing a cod. That's a fish isn't it?" she paused thoughtfully, her nose scrunching slightly, before fixing her father with large, innocent eyes. "I love you and everything, Papa, but humans are _gross_."

Still praying for the ground to swallow her whole, Shepard took a moment to process Izzy's words. She nodded mutely, agreeing with the child's sentiments, before an icy pale replaced the smouldering inferno on her face.

"_Wait_- You-You talked to Nana Aethyta?"

"Yeah. She called this morning. But you and Mama were still sleeping." An innocent worry washed over her features, an eye twitched uncertainly. "Was I not s'posed to?"

"It's fine, sweetie. Honestly." Shepard sat opposite her children, shoulders slumping as she fixed the pair with a reassuring smile. "Just my luck she'd choose to phone today. At that time." Her eyes flickered over to Vari, expecting some kind of mirth the child usually showed at her father's expense. Instead, Shepard was met with her unrelenting gaze. Giving up and accepting her torment, Shepard let out a pitiful groan as she buried her head in her arms. For how long she sat like that, she didn't know.

Eventually, a soft squeeze to her shoulder drew Shepard's attention up, only to be met with a soft smile, equal parts amused and sympathetic. As Liara took her seat, Shepard stretched to her full height, clasping her hands behind her head, letting out a laboured sigh.

"So we're gonna talk about this, huh?"

Beside her, Liara nodded, tucking into her pancakes. Vari sat opposite, her own stack untouched, eyes still trained on the Commander.

"I don't know what there is to talk about." The child said, folding her arms and quirking an accusing brow. "I know what I saw."

"No you don't kiddo, I promise you. Not fully." Shepard pushed her fingers into her eyes, rubbing them blearily. Izzy sat, silent, carefully monitoring the exchange.

"Then what did I see, Dad? _Tell me exactly what I saw_." She leaned forward, her emerald eyes boring into Shepard's own. The human shied under the glare.

"Jeez, sweetie. Y'know, as soon as Tevos calls it quits, you'd be a shoe in for the Council." Vari's expression flattened, unimpressed with the Commander's retort. Nerves taking hold of her, Shepard let out a breathy chuckle. "Next thing you know, you'll be threatening to flay me with-"

"What your father means," Liara cut across curtly, silencing Shepard with a sharp glare of her own. "Is that what you saw last night, was entirely healthy and consensual regardless of how it may have looked."

"Mama," Vari's glare finally left Shepard, moving onto her mother, softening as it did, but retaining its sincerity.

"You don't have to cover for her. Matron Tireya from school explained everything. She said that the war... _broke_ a lot of people and makes them do things to people they say they love. And that sometimes, those people will try to protect the ones who are broken by keeping it a secret. But that-that ends up hurting everyone. And she said with Humans being such a short lived race, they don't have the same emotional control like we do." She gave a small shrug. "You and Dad were right in the middle of the war. If anyone's going to be affected by it, it's you two." Her eyes finally dropped to her lap, voice growing smaller. "I just don't want any of us getting hurt is all."

"Sweetheart," Liara began, reaching a hand across the table, taking Vari's own. "While I admit that what you saw last night was something we did not mean for you to witness, I assure you that neither of us are harmed." Liara frowned slightly as her mind worked over, trying to find any other source of her daughter's obvious discomfort. "Is-is there anything else you've seen that would make you think that?"

"_Well_," Her voice regained some strength as she shot her father a venomous glare. "Dad's clearly been caught red-handed."

Izzy's head popped up nervously, unwilling to see an argument unfurl between her family but at the same time, sharing some of her sister's concerns.

"She-she's right. I mean, I've seen all seven _Baby Blasto Detective Adventures_ and have the 2197 Annual Filo fax, as well as the Revised Edition Reprint. And Papa's acting like all of the culprits in those stories."

"Yeah," Vari piped up, encouraged by her sister's backing. "If she's all innocent, how come she's acting so guilty?"

"Because," Liara couldn't help the amused grin the crept along her lips as she glanced at her increasingly beetroot Bondmate. "While some Humans look very similar to Asari, there are large differences in biology. For example, for you and I, _for Asari_, the meld is a very sacred and important part of who we are. To indulge in melds with another is to open ourselves up completely and utterly; the utmost display of intimacy and trust between consenting adults. Humans however, do not possess the ability to meld like we do. Instead, they rely on more physical acts that draw similar parallels with what it means to meld, to display such levels of trust and intimacy." Liara paused for a second as she collected her thoughts and chose her next words carefully.

"Human sexuality and their approach to the subject is... confusing. As such, they tend to avoid conversation around it until children begin the process of growing into adults. Your father is feeling slightly embarrassed about being caught in what she feels is a compromising position and one, that in the culture she grew up in, was very private and personal, as well as one rarely discussed with adolescents."

Shepard stared at her Bondmate momentarily shocked. How Liara had managed to maintain so calm and collected continued to escape the Commander. However she couldn't help but feel as a small pool of sulky defensiveness well within her.

"And from the way you describe it, it's completely fine for Asari kids to walk in on their parents f-" she stopped herself, embarrassment overcoming her senses once more. "-uh, doing... the things_... we did?_"

Liara glanced over at the Human with a steady gaze.

"No, it is not," She said, speaking slowly as if Shepard herself was one such child. "However, it is something they shall learn eventually and no one has died. _It's fine_."

"But-But Mama," Izzy spoke, confusion lacing her tones "You said that biting and stuff was bad. That one time I tried to bite Vari, you gave me a time out for a billion years. Why does Papa get to do it?"

Liara's hand crept up to her still tender neck, cheeks blooming in colour at the memory.

"B-Because.. it- I... it's _a grown up thing_." she finished a little too quickly. Vari eyed her mother warily, before letting the subject drop and moving onto the next.

"So... what was that... _thing_ between Dad's legs then? Not the fur." She added, seeing Izzy's mouth begin to open with an explanation.

Liara froze. Words tumbled around her head, but her mouth was reduced to gawping like a fish as sounds stuttered from her tongue. She glanced at Shepard pleadingly. Recovering herself, the Human managed an innocent shrug.

"Hey, you've got it. _It's something they'll learn eventually, right?_ It's all natural."

_"Not for Asari." _She hissed in retort. Pleased that her point had been made, what the actual point was, she was unsure, Shepard straightened in her seat once more as the conversation entered more comfortable territory. Growing up as de facto Mother to several curious children on the streets of earth, Shepard had grown used to _the talk, _or at least, the part that didn't involve explaining the loving gentle undertones to angry, sweaty rutting. Allowing herself a small, self satisfied smirk, Shepard cleared her throat.

"Well," _You're Commander Goddamn Shepard. You can do this. Just chill_. "In most species, males tend of have slightly different... _organs_ from females and Asari. However, despite certain aesthetic differences, the common consensus amongst literature," Shepard blinked dumbly for a second as Joker's extensive catalogue of literature flitted through her mind. "Is that these _organs_ serve roughly the same purpose. Now, through what some have theorised as _'convergent evolution'-_" Her air quotes in full flow, Shepard surveyed the expressions of her children. The sudden turn into biology had dulled Vari's features, thankfully. Izzy, however, being far too like her mother for her own good, was listening rapt. Shepard was only thankful she didn't have a data pad at hand to take notes.

"-that near most all female or female analogous species take some form of pleasure out of... _stimulation_ from said organs, in order to aid with successful reproduction, if not literally, then to mimic and forge the emotional bon-"

"Yeah yeah, 'shining ball of light', 'purest representation of bonded love'. I've had the baby talk before Dad." Vari interrupted, rolling her eyes and sighing. It took her a moment to remember she was supposed to be annoyed at her father. Her brow furrowed as new thoughts formed.

"But that doesn't explain the other stuff that you were doing. And we heard some of the stuff you were saying to each other."

Beside her sister, Izzy nodded, her face awash with a renewed seriousness.

"Some of it sounded really mean."

"And a bit, well," Vari stared down at the counter, scrunching up her nose slightly. "... _tawdry_."

Shepard barely suppressed a snort as her eyes shot to Liara, who met her gaze with a cool composure, daring her Bondmate to make another noise. Wilting under her glare, Shepard quickly returned her attention to the attentive children, mind desperately searching for words.

"I- well- It's passion. It-Itshowshowdeeplyweloveeachot herand... and... _It's a grown up thing_." She gave an ineffectual shrug, voice tailing away to a croak. "Grown ups are weird."

Vari gave a soft snort, tipping her head in acquiesce, still unwilling to look her father in the eye. Sighing slightly, Shepard regained her composure, a slight hardness entering her voice as she reached across the table, taking Vari's hand in her own as she began to speak in earnest.

"Look, sweetie. You, your sister and your mother mean _everything_ to me. I would _never_ do anything to hurt you. And I will unleash hell on anyone who would dare to even think about trying to." she gave another small sigh. "I know you might hate me right now but... when you're older, both of you, and you have boyfriends, or girlfriends, or... whatever the other three genders of Hanar are, you'll understand better. But for now, I just need you to trust me. Okay?"

Vari retracted her hand from underneath her fathers and folded her arms, shifting uncomfortably on her stool, cheeks blooming in colour. When she spoke, her voice was a barely audible mumble.

"I'd never hate you Dad."

"And anyway," Izzy whispered conspiratorially, leaning over to her sister, not quite as quietly as she thought. "I think Mama could kick Papa's butt if she really wanted to."

This earned a soft chuckle from the elder child. Shepard relaxed slightly and Liara placed her hand over that of her Bondmates. Finally looking up from the counter, Vari's eyes flicked bashfully between her parents. Receiving gentle smiles, she gave a polite nod, before bumping off of her stool. Taking that as her cue to leave as well, Izzy repeated the movements before following her sister. Just as reached the door way, Shepard called out to her youngest.

"Hey, kiddo, just so you know, even if you've found out how to deactivate Glyph, Mama still has a record of your search history somewhere. We'll be checking it later to make sure you haven't been looking at anything you shouldn't have, okay?"

Izzy spun on her heel.

"Yes, Ma'am!" She shot off an enthusiastic salute before running off. When safely out of ear shot, Shepard crumpled, letting a laboured breath escape her. Beside the Commander, Liara gave an amused chuckle.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" she asked, squeezing the Human's hand. Shepard stared off into the middle distance as she contemplated her answer.

"No. I guess not. I mean, I didn't die of embarrassment. So that's something." A small smile found its way onto her face. "We did good, huh?"

"We did great." Liara grinned, leaning over to peck Shepard on the cheek. Before her actions could develop any further, they were interrupted by the chirping of her Omni-tool. Sighing, Liara pulled away from her Bondmate, frowning as she looked down at the display.

"Why is father calling at this time?"

Feeling blood rushing to her face, Shepard could only let out a whimpering groan as the sound of gravelly cackling filled the air.


End file.
